The Kaytelles, from the left, are Hallie Smith of New Brighton; Karen Kalriess of Oakwood Beach, and Joe Walz of Westerleigh.
(Photo Courtesy of Karen Kalriess)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - NORTH SHORE - Sit around a table for an hour or two with The Kaytelles – vocalist and guitarist Karen Kalriess, vocalist Hallie Smith, guitarist Joe Walz, and drummer Kevin McCole – and you'd never guess that they were raised in different Staten Island neighborhoods, and did not enjoy fast friendships from childhood. Their back-and-forth banter would indicate otherwise.

The band's genesis dates back to 2004, when Ms. Kalriess and Ms. Smith – who met through mutual friends – "were in my rec room, listening to songs from my collection of 45 records from the 1970s. Every song was great, but we realized that you never heard them any more," said Ms. Kalriess, referring to recordings such as "Shadow Dancing," the 1978 Bee Gees hit written by Andy Gibb, and the cover version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," released, most famously, by The Hollies in September 1969.

"Do you wanna have a band?" was the question that the two friends raised and discussed with one another that fateful day.

It was not an improbable proposition.

Ms. Smith already was publicly performing 1940s swing songs and other old standards, with the Andrews Sisters as one of her "big inspirations," she said.

Ms. Kalriess sang in the Nansen Lodge chorus in Travis, and occasionally in the choir at Messiah Lutheran Church in Annadale, which her mother, Gladys Hyland, attended. She had also performed with a 1970s-style rock band in Japan, where she lived for two years while working on a curriculum-development project as an English as a Second Language (ESL) specialist.

"It was a bunch of Japanese guys who barely spoke English," she recalled with a laugh. "They knew so little English that they sometimes spoke with the lyrics of British and American rock."

GETTING STARTED

The duo-to-be got serious when Ms. Smith downloaded all the Billboard Top 100 songs from the 1970s, "to jump-start the effort," she said.

"It was easy from the beginning," Ms. Kalriess added. "The two of us had listened to the same music, at the same age, but independently of one another. We switched off on leads and harmonies."

Their first public gig was on a cold weekend night at Karl's Klipper in St. George.

"This was at the end of 2004, maybe the beginning of 2005," Ms. Kalriess recalled. "We put out advertisements, and a third female vocalist – Toni Stanton, who lived in uptown Manhattan – sang with us. Some people came – and we knew them all."

Ms. Stanton never sang with them again; her round-trip commute was too lengthy. But the new duo went on to perform at Lacey's Bridge Tavern in Port Richmond and Cargo Café in St. George, with Ms. Kalriess on guitar.

TRIO

The duo expanded to a trio when Ms. Kalriess met Walz at a benefit at the American Legion Cichon Post 1578, across the street from the Bridge Tavern, where they played guitar together for the first time.

"We grew up listening to the same music," and the idea of joining the two women in a band "seemed intriguing," Walz said last week.

His addition to the evolving band contributed something else: "Joe developed an online presence for us," Ms. Kalriess said appreciatively.

The trio performed at Cargo Cafe, Joyce's Tavern in Eltingville, and the former Valeno Grill in West Brighton.

Drummer Kevin McCole joined the band in 2009.

"Kevin had been playing in Exposure 5 with Joe Walz. We had the idea to expand the Kaytelles' lineup, and Joe recommended him. We were pleasantly surprised by Kevin's vast knowledge of rare 70's hits. It was a good match!" said Ms. Kalriess.

HOME TOWNS & DAY JOBS

Ms. Kalriess hails from Tottenville, graduated from Tottenville High School, and lives in Oakwood Beach. A former ESL teacher, she works as an accent-reduction coach. She's also performed for the past three years, with her guitar, during Sunday brunch at The Bridge Tavern.

Ms. Smith, a New Brighton resident who was raised in Castleton Corners and graduated from Jonathan Dayton Regional High School in Springfield, N.J., works as a freelance audio engineer, and is a familiar face at Adobe Blues in New Brighton, where she waitresses. Musically versatile, she also belts out 1940s tunes as a member of Billy Mare's six-piece band, Gator Alley.

Walz – raised in Great Kills – graduated from Monsignor Farrell High School, is an FDNY firefighter, and lives in Castleton Corners. He's played bass for three decades and guitar for the past 15 years.

McCole grew up, and still lives, in Westerleigh. He also attended Farrell, and is an FDNY firefighter. A drummer for 25 years, he is the father of two sons – Killian, 11, and Finn, 10 – who study at the Blessed Sacrament School in West Brighton.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The next step for The Kaytelles is "finding new old songs," said McCole.

"And not just any '70s songs," added Ms. Kalriess. "It's songs that are rarely heard, but once you hear them again, you remember them," such as Randy Newman's "Short People" (1978), Eric Clapton's "Lay Down, Sally" (1977), and tunes that Paul McCartney and his band Wings made popular in the 1974 album "Band on the Run."

"I really want us to do 'Jet,' " she said, a reference to the Wings hit.

In addition to venues on Staten Island, including private parties, the band has performed in Easton, Penn., and Forked River and Morristown, N.J.

"We really appreciate all the support that we've received over the years from local bars and restaurants," Ms. Kalriess said gratefully.

"We're trying to do a lot with a little, and have everyone satisfied with the result."

"The last time we performed at Liedy's, (owner) Larry (Liedy) grabbed the mic and said, 'This is The Kaytelles – this is America's band.'